


eye of the beholder

by orangesofduscae



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Met At The Glasses Store AU, just boys bein dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-03 21:24:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15827226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangesofduscae/pseuds/orangesofduscae
Summary: Noct accompanies Prompto to the glasses store and catches the pretty green eye of another patron there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **re-uploaded from my old ao3 account; originally titled _You're the Only 10 "Eye" See_**

The bell above the door jingles happily and Noct inhales the warm, homey smell of vanilla-scented fresheners as he follows Prompto into the glasses store. 

An attendant greets them. “How can we help you today?” 

“I need to know how much it'll be to have new lenses fit to these frames,” Prompto says, holding out his glasses. “New prescription, you know? But I can't let the frames go.” 

“Understandable,” the attendant nods. “I'll help you over here.” 

Noct waves to Prompto with an awkward, amused smile as he walks off with her to one of the little desks stationed around the floor, and then he's by himself. Great. 

Music plays softly from hidden speakers, but it isn't obtrusive. It's only them, the two attendants, and one other guy in the shop. The quiet is peaceful. 

With nothing better to do, Noct wanders over to one of the glasses displays. Rows upon rows of frames in all kinds of styles and brands sit waiting to be purchased. He picks a set of dark, sleek rectangle frames up and puts them on his face. He probably needs to see about getting his own prescription and glasses, now that he thinks about it, but for today he just turns to find a mirror. 

Not his thing, he decides with a snort. Too snooty-looking. He makes a face at himself, and as he turns to put them back, he catches the eye of the other person in the store—a guy, not much older than him probably, attractive in the face—and is offered a polite smile. Noct shyly grins back as he replaces the hideous frames in their spot. 

He moves down the display and picks up another set of frames, this time more oval. They're not a whole lot better. He tries a different color, but it's not improved, so he puts them back. The frames are smaller now, kids’ glasses, so he turns away and glances on instinct over at the other guy who's appraising himself in the mirror and wearing a pair of cat-eye frames in hot pink. 

He can't help it—he snorts and turns it into a cough, trying to pretend he wasn't judging, but the guy looks over and it's obvious he's fighting a smile, too. Noct bites his lip and looks away, eyes landing on a set of shimmering, neon purple frames with bright flowers and picks them up. They're a bit more feminine, but he sticks them on his face and looks over at the guy, who shakes his head with a silent laugh, and Noct makes a show of being disappointed as he puts them back. 

They keep on that way for a few minutes, trying on increasingly unflattering frames and making faces at each other as they move around the store. A couple people come in, and Noct looks over at Prompto who's now on his phone waiting for the attendant to come back from wherever it is she went. 

Coming to the other side of the store, Noct does actually find some frames he likes. Rounded square front, big and nerdy with shimmery hints of blue swirling through the black of the arms. He seriously considers buying them for later just so they don't get bought before he can see an eye doctor. 

He puts them on and turns to find a better mirror than the strip of one on top of the display cases, jumping as he comes face to face with a body right beside him. The guy's even prettier up close, and his eyes are very green. 

“Those suit you very well,” he says, and his voice is soft and accented. 

Noct swallows and manages to stutter out, “Th-thanks. You, um. Yeah.”  _ Good job, Noct. You're making a right fool of yourself.  _

“I do apologise for startling you,” he says, and he offers a sweet smile that makes Noct weak in the knees just a bit. “But I figured I should say hello before I missed my chance.” 

“Oh, well.” Noct laughs and runs a hand through his hair, which he didn't do anything with this morning because he wasn't expecting to run into ridiculously attractive guys at the glasses store, and now he's regretting it. “Hi. I'm Noct.” 

“Ignis,” the guy says, and they just stare at each other, sharing stupid grins. 

“C’mon, Iggy,” a voice drawls, and Noct jumps again when a big bear of a man swaggers up. He looks unimpressed as he eyes Noct up and down, and Noct puffs up in indignation. “I leave you alone for ten minutes and you're over here hitting on the jailbait.” 

“Excuse me,” Noct says, offended, “but I can legally drink, thanks.” 

The dude sneers. “What, orange juice?”

“Hey, fuck you.” 

“Mm, hard pass.”

“Gladio, please,” Ignis interjects, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If you’re quite through.” 

The dude—Gladio—just shrugs and turns away. “Whatever. You ready?” 

“Just a moment,” Ignis sighs. He turns back to Noct with an apologetic smile, just as pretty as the sweet, small one that curled his lips earlier, and Noct can’t help but smile back. “I apologize for him.” 

“Nah, it’s cool,” Noct waves it off. He glares in Gladio’s direction. “Some people are just assholes.” 

“I can hear you,” Gladio says from across the store. Noct puts up his middle finger at him. 

Ignis’s shoulders are shaking again, his head turned away as he hides a grin, and Noct counts that as a win. 

“Anyway,” Noct continues, “you wanna maybe grab lunch sometime?” He shuffles his feet and runs a hand through his hair.  “I, uh. I mean, if you want.” 

“I would like that very much,” Ignis says, and he reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. “I know a splendid little place not far from here, actually. I can pick you up?” 

“Sure.” Noct enters his number into Ignis’s phone and hands it back after calling his own phone. “Next Thursday work for you?” 

Ignis smiles. “It’s a date.” 

He waves, and Noct waves back as he leaves the store alongside Gladio, who’s still throwing shade at Noct for whatever reason. A sigh way too contented leaves Noct, and he feels a stupid grin on his face. He looks at his phone when it vibrates with a text and laughs out loud. 

_ » get the glasses; they suit you ;* _

Shaking his head, Noct pockets it and walks over to Prompto. Prompto’s eyebrows are at his hairline and he’s got an expectant look on his face, mouth stretching into a shit-eating smirk. Noct rolls his eyes and shoves at him, and Prompto laughs as he tries not to fall out of his chair. 

“Dude, you’re so smitten,” Prompto teases. “That was, what, fifteen minutes? At most?” 

“Like you’ve ever done any better,” Noct scoffs, but his face is hot and he knows he’s blushing. “You’re just jealous I have a date with an attractive guy this week.” 

Prompto just looks at him, amusement evident in his expression. “I’m not the one who fell for the eye candy in the eye glasses store, man.” 

“You can shut up.” 

Prompto just laughs and points to Noct’s face. “You’re still wearing those frames, man. You getting ‘em?” 

Noct takes them off, looking over them again, lips pursed. He thinks about the text from Ignis, the Hot Guy he met in a glasses store. 

“Yeah,” he says. “Hey, I need to make an eye doctor appointment. Do you think they’d have these ready with the lenses by next Thursday?” 


	2. Chapter 2

Next Thursday rolls around faster than Noct expects.

He stands in front of his closet, chewing on his lip as he runs his eyes over his clothes and tries to decide what to wear. It’s just a casual lunch, it shouldn’t be this hard, right? 

He reaches towards his dress shirts before pulling his hand back. “ _ Casual _ ,” he tells himself. He goes for the t-shirts and pauses again. “But what if that’s  _ too  _ casual? Ugh, why is this so hard. Maybe I’ll just cancel.” 

“You’re not gonna cancel,” Prompto’s voice says from his phone, where he’s left him on speaker. There’s clacking from his computer keyboard. “Just put on some nice jeans and a shirt without extra hot fire sauce stains on it, dude.” 

“Hey, it’s not like I planned to run into a hot guy, okay? He didn’t even notice.” 

“Exactly!” A whine follows, and Prompto sighs. “Damn. Anyway, that’s my point! Iggy didn’t even notice your clothes because he was too distracted by your cute face, so it’ll be the same today! Just wear whatever.” 

His cheeks flush and Noct goes back to deliberating his outfit choices. Prompto has a point, he figures, so he grabs his cleanest pair of jeans and his favorite sweater and calls it good. He heads to the bathroom to do his hair and sees his new glasses sitting by the sink—perks of having a rich dad to get things for him fast. 

He slips them on, looking up at his mirror. Everything sharpens suddenly, and he blinks, letting his eyes adjust a bit to the new details. It’s almost distorted in its clarity, and he wonders if this is how everyone who gets new prescriptions feels. 

His phone bloops with a notification from his bedroom. He quickly runs gel into his hair, styling it with the ease that comes with muscle memory, and heads back out to pick it up to check the text from Ignis.

_ » i’m out front when you’re ready _

Noct sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, centering himself. He’s buzzing with excitement and nerves, his skin tingling and heart beating fast in his chest. He can’t contain the goofy grin splitting his face. 

“He’s here,” he tells Prompto. “I gotta go.” 

“Have fun, dude!” Prompto says. “Tell me about it later!” 

“Will do,” Noct agrees, and he hangs up before going back to reply to the message.

_ « omw down now _

He pockets his phone and, after one last look at himself, leaves his room. Key and wallet in hand, he steps out of his apartment, locking it behind him, and heads down to the lobby. His fingers tap aimless rhythms against his leg as he rides the elevator, jittery with anxiety—the good kind. 

Ignis is there in the lobby when he steps out, and Noct ducks his head shyly when he waves at him. He returns the wave and makes his way over, eyes roaming over Ignis’s figure. 

“Oh, thank gods,” Noct breathes out, unbidden, and Ignis’s eyebrows shoot up. Words start spilling out of him and Noct feels his panic rising again. “I spent all week freaking out over what to wear, because, like, what do you wear to a casual lunch date? I have no idea. Prom said a shirt and jeans would be fine, but, like, was that enough? I don’t have anything else, though, so it’s all I could do, but seeing that you’re dressed the same has really put me at ease. I’m just glad I don’t look under-dressed. Or overdressed. I’m not sure which would be worse.  _ Holy fuck _ , I need to stop talking now.” 

Noct feels heat rushing to his cheeks as he snaps his mouth closed, embarrassment taking over. Ignis just blinks at him before a smile splits his face and suddenly he’s laughing. Noct puffs up in indignation, but he can’t really blame him.  _ Gods,  _ he’s made such a fool of himself. 

“You look perfect,” Ignis finally manages, wiping at his eye, and he offers Noct such a sweet look Noct has to look away. “And those glasses really do suit you. They bring out the blue of your eyes beautifully.” 

Embarrassment wars with surging pride at the compliments, and Noct crosses his arms, hunching into himself. He’s very pleased, though. “I—uh. Well. Thanks, I guess. You, um.” He gestures to Ignis with a broad vertical sweep of his arm. “You look good, too.” 

And he really does. His outfit is a simple shirt and jeans, too, but he wears them well. Tailored to fit, probably. Ignis makes casual look sophisticated. Noct would be jealous if he didn’t know he was going to get to hang off his arm for the afternoon. 

Ignis dips his head, accepting the compliment with grace. “Thank you, Noct. I’m looking forward to today.” 

Noct huffs, feeling his shoulders loosen and relax. “It’s just lunch.” 

“Just lunch with  _ you,”  _ Ignis corrects with a wink, and Noct thinks  _ damn.  _ “Shall we?” He holds out his arm, every inch the proper gentleman, and Noct knows he’s done for. 

They go to a little place in the same strip mall that the glasses store they met in is. It’s a sandwich shop/bakery combo exuding calmness and a laid back feeling of laziness, and it smells rich and sweet. Noct closes his eyes as he inhales, and a smile sits on his face as they get in line to order. He looks up at Ignis. “You been here before?” 

“A few times,” Ignis says, nodding. “I work at the office up the street, and this isn’t too out of the way when the floor wants to go out to lunch.” 

Noct hums and looks at the menu. “What do you recommend?” 

“For someone as picky as you?” Ignis grins, and Noct hits him. 

“I told you that in confidence,” Noct says, put out. He feels the need to justify himself. “So that we wouldn’t end up somewhere where I wasn’t going to eat and we just waste money.” 

Ignis chuckles and bumps their shoulders together as they move up in line. “I’m teasing you. Relax, Noct.” 

He’s right, and Noct takes a deep breath, forcibly dropping his shoulders to let the tension drain out. “Sorry. I’m just—I don’t do this a lot. I’m nervous, I guess—” 

“You guess?” Ignis’s eyebrow raises. 

“I  _ am  _ nervous,” Noct corrects, rolling his eyes. “I just. I want this to go decently. I don’t want to be a hassle.” 

“You’re not a hassle, Noct,” Ignis reassures him gently. “I’m very much enjoying myself right now.” 

“We haven’t even done anything.” 

“That’s the beauty of it.” Ignis smiles at him as they reach the counter. “We’ve got the day ahead of us. Exciting, right?” 

Noct hums again, a smile pulling up his mouth. “Yeah, I guess so.” 

Ignis squeezes his arm where they’re threaded together and turns to the cashier. He orders for both of them, taking the stress off Noct entirely, and they move to find a table after Ignis pays. There’s one in the back by the window, and Noct makes a beeline for it, Ignis on his heels. 

The greatest thing about Ignis is how easy conversation flows with him. Noct finds himself speaking easily after they settle in with their food—Ignis ordered him some kind of meat sandwich, and Noct moans out loud at the first bite—and Ignis reciprocates in kind, talking about his own life and enthralling Noct with even the most simple details. 

“I very much enjoy the culinary arts,” Ignis says, looking thoughtfully out the window. They’ve finished their lunch and now have a slice of orange cake each in front of them. Noct likes it a lot. “It’s become a sort of hobby of mine. I love cooking and preparing meals for my friends and family. Seeing the way they light up at their favorite meals—it’s a heady sensation, if I’m honest.” 

“That’s really cool,” Noct says. He smiles at the image of Ignis cooking big meals for get togethers and family reunions. “I’d like to try your cooking sometime.” 

Ignis smiles at him, cup of coffee held to his mouth. His eyes seem to glow in the bright yellow of the afternoon sunlight, a beautiful meadow green. He looks stunning and it takes Noct’s breath away. “I’d like to cook for you sometime.” 

The way he says it, so soft and intimate, makes Noct duck his head and look away. His glasses slip down his nose, and he pushes them up with a finger. Their legs are tangled together under the table and Noct gives Ignis’s foot a little, fond nudge. Ignis returns it, and they grin at each other. 

Eventually, they finish their dessert and pay the check. Ignis offers his arm again when they get up from the table, and Noct takes it happily. They leave the little shop arm in arm, squinting under the glare of the sun outside, and head over the little park across the street to walk and enjoy the nice day.

“I had a really nice time today,” Ignis says, when they’ve made a full circuit. The sun is going down, and he smiles over at Noct, warm and kind. Noct can’t help smiling back. “I’d like to do it again.” 

Noct ducks his head, hiding his heated face. “Yeah. I had fun today, too. We should definitely do it again.” 

Ignis takes Noct back home and walks him into the lobby, right up to the elevator. Noct thinks about inviting him up, but shakes the thought away—that might be moving a little too fast. He turns to Ignis anyway, fiddling with his keys, and bites his lip. His other hand is twined with Ignis’s, and he gives it a squeeze. 

“Guess this is me,” he says, reluctant to part. “I guess, um. Text me? The next time you’re gonna be free? And we can do lunch again, or go see a movie, or something. Uh. Yeah.” 

Ignis squeezes his hand back and inclines his head. “Will do.” He leans forward, and Noct swallows, watching his face come closer. Ignis reaches up and pushes Noct’s glasses up his nose with a little grin. “Would it be alright if I kissed you?” 

“ _ Hell yeah, _ ” Noct breathes, and he closes his eyes as Ignis’s lips press against his. He squeaks despite himself, and feels embarrassment flush his face, but he pushes it away and leans into the kiss. 

It’s short and chaste and tastes of the orange cake and coffee, and is utterly perfect. Noct sighs when Ignis pulls away, following him on instinct before coming back to himself and letting Ignis step back. 

“I’ll text you,” Ignis says, and he finally releases Noct’s hand. 

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” 

With a wave, Ignis turns and heads out. Noct watches him go until he disappears out the door and down the street. 

He sighs again, way too content and lovesick, and turns to call the elevator. He runs his fingers over his lips and smiles to himself, giddy and flushed. 

Best. Date. _Ever_. 

**Author's Note:**

> twitter @firaga_master


End file.
